Cask Number: #9002123

Age: 12 years

ABV: 56.4%

Cask Type: Finished in first fill Bourbon Hogshead

Bottles: 272

Bottle Size: 700ml

Colour: Ripe wheat

Nose: Smoke, not peat but genuine fire smoke, wonderful.

Palate: Sweet and smoky, very savoury and reminiscent of good bacon.

Finish: Oddly simple, delicate wood smoke with a hint of sharpness balanced wonderfully by sweet spices.

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Reviews from Real Scotch Drinkers!

By Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer from maltfascination.com

“Another name that is not a distillery. This time it’s Glenturret’s brand of peated single malts that are not released under their own name. It’s not something that Kenny and Viktorija came up with, some 30 other bottlers use the same name.

I like the simple fact that even though they are not using the distillery’s name, you can quite simply know what distillery it’s from. It would be very unpractical if everybody would just make stuff up. Now it’s only the first bottler to come up with it that does…

This specific one is from the latest releases from Dràm Mòr that were released this autumn. It took a while before the samples got to me after being shipped from Scotland, but in the end, I got them and for a change, things aren’t sold out already!

Sniff:
Thick, greasy smoke. Soot, barley, scones with clotted cream. Vanilla and creamy caramel too.

Sip:
The palate starts gentle, but builds gradually to something quite fierce. The alcohol bite, with a metallic hint. Copper, oak, earthy peat and a hint of heather.

Swallow:
The finish has a bit of acidity. It’s not too long but the peat (more so than smoke) lingers nicely.

This one holds a really nice balance between cask influence, smoke and spirit. It’s quite well balanced and very enjoyable. The greasy notes on the nose make for an interesting experience, since you don’t often get that outside of Islay drams, but those are coastal and this one is not. Good stuff!“

https://maltfascination.com/2023/12/20/ruadh-maor-12-bottled-in-2023-1st-bourbon-hogshead-finish-56-4-dram-mor/

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 About the Glenturret Distillery 

Tracing its origins to an illicit still from the 1760’s nicknamed the Hosh, (the ‘foot’ of the valley in Gaelic) the Glenturret holds the coveted title of Scotland’s oldest distillery. It became an official licensed distillery in 1818 under the ownership of John Drummond. Originally, a farm distillery, the Glenturret holds true to its Highland farm roots, also remaining one of Scotland’s smallest distilleries.

Throughout the years, the site went through many trials and tribulations, including a total dismantlation in the 1920’s. The late 1950’s brought opportunist James Fairlie to the Glenturret and the distillery was revitalized with the old Tullibardine still and mash tun, as the neighboring Highland distillery was going through its own revitalization. A true pioneer in the whisky industry, Fairlie recognized the importance of sharing the whisky making experience with the end customer and opened the second ever Scottish distillery visitor center. Throughout most of the 2000’s, the Glenturret distillery was renowned as the Famous Grouse Experience, then owner Edrington Group’s blended malt.

This brings us to the current era and perhaps the most interesting of the Glenturret. Sold to a joint venture between luxury brand owner, Lalique and Swiss entrepreneur Hansjorg Wyss, the group brought in heavy hitters from the Macallan to re-imagine the brand and introduce it is as a luxury scotch, on par with the Macallan, to a new generation. Gone are the marketing quirks and tacky t-shirts for the Famous Grouse and in its place is the first Michelin starred restaurant within a distillery.  Most recently, the restaurant has been awarded a second Michelin star! A 16-course tasting menu is available for dinner, while an ala carte lunch menu offers a little bit of everything. Reservations are a must!

On to the whisky - the team has added the Glenturret to the short list of prestigious Scottish single malts. For a distillate that for most of its existence was primarily a blending component, its single malts exhibit a flavor profile that’s both light and intense at the same time. Ruadh Maor, translating to Big Red, is Glenturret’s peated malt, a surprising but delicious Highland peated malt. As the current owners continue to ramp up global promotions, we can only expect that these single malts continue to increase in demand and price.